'Mad Men': Jon Hamm Will Direct Season 5 Premiere

It's going to be a (long) while before Mad Men returns to TV, but some details of the season five premiere are already leaking. Not plot points, of course—showrunner Matthew Weiner is notoriously guarded with those. The news today, according to TVLine, is that Jon Hamm, who plays Don Draper in the series, will direct the episode. He says costar John Slattery's turn in the director's chair helped push him into the role:

"The wheels have officially been set in motion to make that happen," Hamm tells TVLine. "It's a very exciting challenge that I'm looking forward to with a mixture of utter fear and excitement."

"I watched Slattery do it, and he handled it with such grace and ability and ease," he continues, before adding with a laugh, "I figured if he can do it, s-t, I can do it too."

Of course, Hamm using the word "wheels" is as good of an excuse as any to revisit his brilliant Kodak Carousel monologue from the season one finale, aptly titled "The Wheel":